Edward Snowden & spying on Malaysia's leadership:Implications for Najib Razak and Malaysian national interest

by Ganesh Sahathevan

In 2014 Der Spiegel and the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Adbullah Badawi,Najib Razak's predecessor, was the highest priority target for surveillance by Australian and US intelligence agencies. The Snowden documents referred to a period of time between October 2003, and April 2009 when Najib succeeded Badawi.

Najib was Badawi's deputy during that period of time and it is likely that he  would have inadvertently if not purposefully  come under surveillance as a consequence. It can also be reasonably assumed that the practise would have continued after April 2009 , and perhaps into the present time. Surveilling a prime minister can be  very useful, and dismantling  existing infrastructure would not make sense.

The question then, what did  the Americans and Australians learn about Najib Razak,and how is that affecting Malaysian national interest? Has Australia's decision to hold convicted murderer Sirul Azhar Umar in detention as an illegal alien  indefinitely been influenced by something Australian intelligence agencies learnt? If yes, has Australia's leadership decided on how it might use what was learnt? Dismissing any of the above as mere speculation will not be easy, given the amount of relevant information attributable to the parties involved , that is already in the public domain. 

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Edward Snowden documents show Malaysia is an Australia, US intelligence target

Philip Dorling

http://www.smh.com.au/

March 30, 2014

Malaysia’s political leadership is a priority intelligence target for the United States and Australia, according to top secret documents published by Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine.

Former Malaysian Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi, who served as Malaysian prime minister from October 2003 to April 2009, is listed in an extract from the US National Security Agency’s "Target Knowledge Base", a database designed to build up “complete profiles” of high priority intelligence targets.

Abdullah Badawi’s name appears in a list of eleven heads of government, including Germany’s Angela Merkel, Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, Belarus’s Alexander Lukashenko, and former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe. The top secret briefing, created in 2009, indicates that the full list of targeted heads of foreign governments contained 122 names. The final name on the list is Yulia Tymoshenko, who was Ukrainian prime minister at the time.

According to Der Spiegel a National Security Agency search program codenamed "Nymrod" enables intelligence analysis to search the database to "find information relating to targets that would otherwise be tough to track down". Nymrod sifts through signals intelligence reports based on intercepted communications as well as transcripts of faxes, phone calls, and data collected from computer networks. Each of the names in the database is considered a "SIGINT target" with automated data processing making it possible to manage more than 3 million entries.

Part of the trove of highly classified documents leaked by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, the secret briefing published by Der Spiegel also shows that intelligence on foreign leaders is shared between all "5-eyes" intelligence partners – the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Former members of the Australian Parliament's joint intelligence committee have confirmed to Fairfax Media that the Malaysian government, political leadership and defence force have been long been targeted by Australia's electronic spy agency, the Australian Signals Directorate, and by the Australian Secret Intelligence Service.

Australia bugged Malaysia Cabinet ministers

Fairfax Media has been told that in the early 1990s Australian intelligence successfully eavesdropped on Malaysian Cabinet talks, recording highly uncomplimentary remarks by then Prime Minister

Mahathir Mohammed about Indonesian President Suharto. A decade later parliamentary joint intelligence committee members were briefed on the Australian Signals Directorate’s access to Malaysian defence force communications, including interception of video conference channels used by Malaysia's defence chiefs.

Confirmation that Abdullah Badawi was targeted for intelligence collection is the latest in a series of unprecedented disclosures of US and Australian intelligence operations against South East Asian countries.

In August last year Fairfax Media revealed that the Australian Signals Directorate is in a partnership with British, American and Singaporean intelligence agencies to tap undersea fibre optic telecommunications cables through South East Asia. Fairfax Media also reported on the use of US and Australian embassies in East and South East Asia, including those in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur, as secret bases for signals intelligence collection program codenamed "Stateroom".

In November the Guardian and the ABC reported that the Australian Signals Directorate had intercepted the mobile phone of Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife and many of his closest political associates.

In response, Indonesia broke off formal military cooperation with Australia and demanded a new "code of conduct" be reached with Australia before cooperation resumes.

Other revelations have included cooperation between the US National Security Agency and its Australian counterpart in targeting a 2007 United Nations climate change conference in Bali.

According to other National Security Agency documents published by the New York Times, the Australian Signals Directorate has accessed bulk call data from Indosat, Indonesia’s domestic satellite telecommunications provider, and obtained nearly 1.8 million encrypted master keys, which are used to protect private communications, from Indonesia’s Telkomsel mobile telephone network in Indonesia, and developed a way to decrypt almost all of them.

Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the new code of conduct being negotiated between Australia and Indonesia will include a clause dealing with intelligence activities.

"I made it quite clear that Australia would not use its resources - our intelligence resources - to the detriment of our friends and neighbours and that includes Indonesia," she told the ABC Lateline program.

Ms Bishop said Australia has submitted a draft of the code of conduct, which she described as a "joint understanding", however she expected progress to be slow in the lead-up to Indonesia’s legislative elections next week and presidential elections in July.  

No wonder Navy got caught out by the Russian Navy:Encouraged by Mona Shindy Barrett & co were busy memorizing the Quran

by Ganesh Sahathevan

First ,my post from 13  November 2014:

Despite advance knowledge (of a Russian flotilla headed to Queensland) Australia has not been able to do very much, not even repeat the "shirt-fronting" threat. Under the circumstances, this might be a better response:




Now, read this to understand that our Chief of Navy was busy with other more pressing matters:

Memory competition has an Australian flavour.

Published on 05 March 2015 Royal Australian Navy (author)

Royal Australian Navy Chief Petty Officer Zulkarnain Naim, at the final ceremony presentations of the Prince Sultan International Military Al Quran Memorisation Competition, Riyadh Air Base.

The Royal Australian Navy is primed to represent Australia at the next Prince Sultan International Military Quran Memorisation Competition.

Last month, 27 nations were represented at this year's prestigious event which was hosted by the Ministry of Defence of Saudi Arabia. The competition finds the most proficient Defence Force member from around the world who could best recite the holy Quran from memory. 

The Quran has 114 chapters and is written in eloquent Arabic poetry. Many find it a challenge to read and recite from the holy book in general, particularly if they have not had formal Arabic training. The task of memorising the entire scripture is incredibly harder again, but a goal many Muslims set for themselves from a young age. In front of a panel of scholars, individual competitors had to recite randomly chosen chapters with minimal errors. 

Chief Petty Officer Zulkarnain Naim, assistant to the Chief of Navy’s Strategic Advisor on Islamic Cultural Affairs, was selected to observe the competition and developed an appreciation for the talent of competitors that took the stand. As the first ever Australian Defence Force representative to attend the event, Chief Petty Officer Naim laid the groundwork for ADF members to compete in 2016 and beyond by noting the skills on show and gaining an understanding of what preparation would be needed for future competitors.

More than 100 Muslims serve in the Australian Defence Force and with 27 Muslim sailors currently serving in the Australian Navy, selection for this prestigious event in 2016 will be difficult. 

Chief of Navy’s Strategic Advisor on Islamic Cultural Affairs, Captain Mona Shindy, encouraged personnel to get practicing. 

“This Saudi Armed Forces co-ordinated and fully funded opportunity is expected to be on offer every two years to Muslim serving members. 

"With early planning and preparation it is possible that in the not too distant future, a Muslim member of the Australian forces might just win this goodwill Quran memorisation competition on the international stage while simultaneously gaining much personal reward from this highly appealing representational and spiritual opportunity,” she said. 

Competition was fierce, and after four days, a Yemeni Infantry Soldier was judged the winner, much to the delight of the audience. The event was also a success for the Australian Defence Force in gaining recognition and belonging as part of a Defence international community whose culture and traditions are quite foreign to many Australians. 

Along with the opportunity to be apart of the Quran Memorisation Competition, delegates from each country had the opportunity to participate in various events organised and coordinated by the Saudi Defence Force. These included cultural tours and discussion sessions.  Topics covered by the participants related to issues concerning their service personnel and lessons learnt in establishing infrastructure, policies and organisational structures to assist with the integration of Muslims in Defence Forces internationally. 

Historical tours of the two holy cities, Madinah and Mecca and the opportunity to complete a minor pilgrimage known as the ‘Umrah’ were significant and rewarding highlights for all competitors and delegates.

See also:

We'll be sunk if we don't choose the best submarine: Ross Babbage's advice from 2012 rings ever more true given humiliation by the Russian fleet

Available for sale: Duncan Lewis AO,DSC, hardly used head of ASIO,former NSA;reputed to be best head of the best intel agency in the world

by Ganesh Sahathevan

Before any reader  gets hot and bothered and starts hyper-ventilating at the very thought of any  senior Australian public servant being corrupt or corruptible ("it happens in Asia, not here") ,this story is about how our chief spy Duncan Lewis has effectively put himself on the market,and advertised himself to ever present buyers of information and influence.

The first step in his self-advertisement was to make himself known. While it is often no longer the case here and overseas that the identities of the heads of intelligence services are kept secret, one must still go looking, and know enough to look in the right places to find their names. Simply googling "chief spook" often does not work. Most foreign and even regional agencies prefer to call their spy agencies "research divisions" or "analysis departments". Here on the other hand Duncan Lewis has embarked on a media campaign, giving interviews  and  using his office to launch PR campaigns in defence of himself and his actions.

Consequently, even the most junior analyst at any number of private and government "research divisions" or "analysis departments" would by now have a complete file of the current head of ASIO's name, photo,  CV, political, cultural and religious leanings, family, and contact details.
It is only natural that inducements be offered for his services, even if he chooses to remain head of ASIO or hold any other public post. Of course, no one is expecting that he , a former soldier , a retired major general no less,would breach his oath of secrecy should he go to work for anyone else..................

In any case, this writer would be happy to broker a deal.To quote one M.Turnbull, his boss who has on a number of occasions described Duncan Lewis and ASIO as "best in the world", it is only business.
END

Paying China: Petronas oilfields, installations in the South China Sea could go to China as Malaysia flounders trying to pay its chief financier

by Ganesh Sahathevan


Malaysia's growing reliance on the Chinese Government for capital may see China seeking compensation in the form of Malaysia's oil and gas fields and related infrastructure in the South Chin Sea.While ExxonMobil ,Shell and a host of other smaller foreign companies operate those fields pursuant to production sharing contracts , Petronas remains the ultimate  owner of the fields,and the infrastructure.

The resumption of Petronas infrastructure in the South China Sea can
provide China an alternative to its recent island building campaign that has attracted international criticism, in addition of course to whatever oil and gas there may be left in the relevant areas.
As illustrated in these maps, China could dominate the South China Sea very quickly by simply assuming control of a few strategically located fields.